Op-Ed

Assignment Guidelines

Objective: Write a persuasive piece that advocates for a policy change of some sort at the campus, community, or state level.

Procedure:

1. Choose a topic relating to an issue that interests you and about which you can argue persuasively.

2. Take notes identifying current policies that shape the communityÕs approach to this topic and possible ways to improve these policies. Identify an existing policy that, in your view, needs to change.

3. Sign up for a one-on-one meeting with the instructor to discuss topics.

4. Formulate a thesis statement and list three to four subtopics that you will address to back this thesis up, and bring this to class on September 7th, 2017.

5. Write a working draft of at least 500 words, and bring it to class on September 12th, 2017, for peer-review.

6. Revise this draft with the help of peer-review feedback, and bring a hard-copy final draft to class on September 21st, 2017. Turn in your peer-reviewed draft with your final draft.

Topics:

This is not an exhaustive list. Please feel free to refine topics as needed, or come up with your own:

Campus-level:

Drinking age and enforcement of alcohol policies on campus

The definition of and approach to bullying

Improvements to student life on campus including amenities, infrastructure, campus community

Connections between college curriculum and future employment

Sexual harassment and sexual assault

An ethnically diverse campus community

Community-level:

UMD-City of Duluth relationship

Rental ordinances and college housing

Employment opportunities in Duluth

Transportation in Duluth

Building better neighborhoods

State-level:

Addressing the urban-rural divide

K-12 education policies

Higher-education funding

State vs. city/county jurisdiction

Environmental protection

Taxation

Agriculture

Criminal justice

Grading standards

This paper is worth 10% of your final grade, and I will base your grade on the following criteria:

1. Clarity and focus of an arguable stance on your topic.
2. Appropriate support of claims in the essay.
3. A coherent approach to a specific audience, including acknowledgment of possible counterarguments.
4. Effective organization of the argument, sign-posted with clear topic sentences, transitional expressions and keywords.
5. A command of Edited Standard Written English demonstrating that the writer has carefully revised and proofread to remove grammatical and spelling errors.